Leadership and strategic planning
Effective leadership and strategic planning skills are the keys to success for any CIO. As more CIOs are expected to speak the language of the business and contribute to the success of the organization, leadership and strategic planning skills are essential. Find information and advice on effective leadership and strategic planning for CIOs, including news, tips and other resources, in this topic section.
Top Stories
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Tip
14 Mar 2024
Practical strategies for shadow IT management
Employees might believe that they need tools beyond the organization's scope. Learn how CIOs and their teams can properly manage shadow IT to avoid unnecessary risk. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Jul 2023
Replacing vs. maintaining legacy systems
Understanding issues such as which systems hinder organizational performance can help IT leaders decide which legacy systems to replace and which to maintain. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
06 Feb 2017
Reporting lines for the CDO role: Context counts
The chief data officer (CDO) role may be gaining influence, but a lingering question that both public and the private sector organizations have yet to answer is: Who should CDOs report to? ... Continue Reading
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Guide
30 Jan 2017
A comprehensive guide to enterprise IoT project success
IoT is changing the enterprise forever. Learn how in this Essential Guide, and get tips for getting your enterprise IoT project off the ground. Continue Reading
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News
29 Dec 2016
Teaching leadership to Millennials? First, get used to them
Teaching leadership skills is critical in a changing world, MIT's John Van Maanen says, but coaching Millennials comes with unique challenges. Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2016
Becoming a strategic CIO
Strategic CIOs create customer value, improve profit and enhance shareholder value. According to Phil Weinzimer, they jumped through four high hoops to get there. Continue Reading
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Opinion
28 Nov 2016
To be leaders, technical professionals must move beyond IT expertise
Technical professionals sometimes flounder when adapting to leadership roles. Here are the four critical skills that they must strengthen to become high impact business leaders. Continue Reading
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Guide
16 Nov 2016
Key IT metrics: A CIO guide
As technology and the business evolve, so do IT metrics. In this Essential Guide, learn how to navigate KPIs, IT investment and cloud cost optimization techniques. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
20 Oct 2016
DevOps capabilities vary widely by industry vertical
DevOps isn't the same from one IT shop to another, let alone from healthcare to retail IT. Some verticals rise higher than others when it comes to agility and communication. Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2016
Samsung Note 7 disaster a CIO parable about quality assurance
Reasons for the Samsung Note 7 disaster are not fully known, but experts are certain of this: A shoddy quality assurance process can kill you. Also: Gig economy up; PC orders down; Amazon stores a-coming. Continue Reading
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Guide
07 Oct 2016
From blockchain to RPA: A look at cutting-edge tech and the enterprise
Cutting-edge tech has become a competitive advantage. Here's four technologies that should be on your radar. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Sep 2016
Become a change agent: Stop procrastinating
Don't be like the white-haired bride and groom who put off the big event until they could afford it. Now is the time for action, says organizational agility expert Joseph Flahiff. Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2016
Macro trends HP is tracking: Urbanization, globalization, demographics
HP Inc. CTO Shane Wall weighs in on three big macro trends that are shaping the company's long-horizon strategy. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
05 Aug 2016
Intel CIO hire puts spotlight on IT gender gap
This week, Intel's executive IT ranks saw a shift from one woman CIO to another. But that doesn't mean the gender gap has closed -- far from it, in fact. In this week's Searchlight, Executive ... Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Jul 2016
strategic innovation
Strategic innovation is a company's process of reinventing its corporate strategy to encourage growth, create value for the company and its customers, and gain competitive differentiation. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jun 2016
Delegator vs. micromanager: What kind of boss are you?
Being a delegator is one of the hardest jobs for a leader. Joseph Flahiff explains. Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2016
How three digital leaders overcame resistance to change
Digital leaders at CBS, IBM and SAP point to culture as one of the biggest digital transformation hurdles. Here's how they prevailed. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
22 Apr 2016
Intel's job cuts a sign of PC's metamorphosis; keeping cool during a cyberassault
Intel just announced that it's cutting 12,000 jobs in a restructuring effort that shifts focus away from PCs and onto growing technologies like wearables and IoT. In this week's Searchlight, Site ... Continue Reading
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News
06 Apr 2016
Instagram roundup: Disruptive business models, digital investments
2016 Fusion CEO-CIO Symposium caught on Instagram: Follow along as senior news writer Nicole Laskowski chronicles sessions on disruptive business models and digital investments. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Mar 2016
Three keys to a good business reorganization
The typical reorg evokes fear, stress and suspicion -- and kills productivity. Here's how to change that. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
29 Feb 2016
The four facets of an Agile PMO
The Agile project management office (PMO) leverages the centralized portfolio management team to deliver on projects and products faster, said Michael Nir, president and founder of Sapir Consulting ... Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Feb 2016
8 free IT budget plan templates for CIOs
Creating a reliable IT budget plan is no cinch, especially in today's digital age. Here, we've rounded up free, customizable IT budget templates to help. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Jan 2016
Internet of Things: Food safety apps set to emerge
Food safety could emerge as a key application for the Internet of Things in the coming months, providing real-time visibility in the vast food supply chain. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Jan 2016
Assessing the cost of private cloud
The high cost of private cloud requires a ton of due diligence on the part of CIOs and business partners. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Dec 2015
Writing a statement of work? Here's what you should include
A project's success can hinge on having clear and specific details about it. Download this free checklist to see critical elements of a statement of work. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Dec 2015
Free statement of work template examples for CIOs
Statements of work are critical in helping CIOs keep projects on track and meet business goals. Check out these free statement of work template examples. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Nov 2015
How organizational agility will save and destroy your company
Aiming for organizational agility? Prepare to change how you scope work, structure teams, develop talent, practice leadership, and deliver and sell your products. Continue Reading
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Opinion
13 Oct 2015
Pixar president on why building a 'fail fast' culture is hard
The duality of failure, IBM's bet on cognitive computing, and the difference between a data officer and an analytics officer: The Data Mill reports. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Sep 2015
Delving into an enterprise IoT initiative? Read this first
From the business problem to the technology, here's what CIOs need to know to get started on an enterprise IoT initiative. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Aug 2015
Larry Wall's programmer virtues and 'vices'
IT pros who are lazy, impatient and hubristic are just what CIOs need. Gartner analyst Danny Brian explains why in this SearchCIO tip. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jul 2015
incremental innovation
Incremental innovation is the introduction of small improvements or upgrades to already existing products, services, processes or methods. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2015
The platform business model: An introduction
Airbnb does it; Uber does it. What about your organization? Sangeet Paul Choudary lays out the fundamentals of the platform business model. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jul 2015
McCormick spices up food market with digital platform business
Former McCormick CIO Jerry Wolfe talks about his role as CEO of the spice company's new tech spinoff and why a digital platform is so essential to reaching today's foodies. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
22 May 2015
The logistics of a 'bossless' workplace; dated security practices endanger companies
Imagine never having to report to a boss or supervisor again. Sounds great, right? Well, not all the employees at Zappos think so. The company's controversial new holacracy system enforces ... Continue Reading
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News
04 May 2015
The secret to becoming a 'digital master'? Close the IT/business gap.
Capgemini's Didier Bonnet shines a light on how businesses are mastering the digital transformation: The Data Mill reports from the CDO Summit. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Apr 2015
Profiles in digital leadership at Forbes, CBS, US Bank
Forbes, CBS and US Bank use social media marketing, mobile devices, Agile project development -- and strong IT-marketing partnerships -- to drive digital projects. Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Mar 2015
The digital effect on the BPM lifecycle
Digitization has fundamentally changed how businesses operate, but is the same true for business process management? Here's why the BPM lifecycle remains the same. Continue Reading
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News
19 Mar 2015
What startups can teach CIOs about IT funding
Getting the CEO and CFO to fork over funding for innovation IT projects is never easy. At the Fusion 2015 CEO-CIO Symposium, Gartner's Barbara Gomolski advised CIOs to look at how startups raise capital. Here are three tips. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
10 Mar 2015
Reverse mentoring turns Millennials into teachers
In 2007, Apple introduced its first generation iPhone. Yesterday, it announced the launch of its much-anticipated iWatch. It's just one example of how consumer technology is marching on at an ... Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Feb 2015
Loss of focus chief reason for startup failure
Too much passion, too little passion, too many cooks -- there are many factors that can lead to loss of focus and, ultimately, to startup failure. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Feb 2015
Chief innovation officers need friends in high places
Hyatt, Merck and Nestlé Purina execs explain their business processes for innovation and detail why backing from on high is important. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Dec 2014
7-Eleven guru's eight-step program for building an innovation team
IT innovation is on every CIO's agenda -- or it should be. Before plotting your strategy, consider these eight tips from 7-Eleven's innovation guru. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
12 Dec 2014
Sony breach: The new front in corporate cyber warfare?
Data breaches have unfortunately become the norm. But the now infamous Sony breach has opened the eyes of the IT world to the fact that we haven't seen the end of what cyber attacks have in store ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
05 Dec 2014
Why CIOs need to think like venture capitalists
If you had the opportunity to be the next Uber would you take it? An innovative technology could mean a company's big break or, as in the case of Uber, disrupt an entire industry. Nowadays, ... Continue Reading
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News
04 Dec 2014
UKtech50 2014 - The most influential people in UK IT
Our sister site Computer Weekly has announced the fifth annual UKtech50, a definitive list of the movers and shakers in UK IT. Continue Reading
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News
04 Dec 2014
Global CIO at Unilever named most influential person in UK IT
Jane Moran, the first woman to top our sister site Computer Weekly's UKtech50 list, is innovating while balancing the tech demands of a global giant. Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2014
Jim Highsmith offers a 2015 prescription for adaptive CIO leadership
Agile development guru Jim Highsmith makes the case to CIOs that adaptation is tantamount to business survival. Here is his prescription for adaptive leadership. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
14 Nov 2014
What's behind the attack on USPS security?
Another week, another security breach. This time the U.S. Postal Service was the victim and experts speculate Chinese hackers were the culprits. The interesting aspect of this breach is that it's ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
31 Oct 2014
The White House Hack: More Trick Than Treat
Hackers have become highly organized and specialized -- so much so that some hacked into the White House's unclassified computer network earlier this week. Luckily, the administration's ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
24 Oct 2014
500 million stolen financial records in the last 12 months
Week after week a new breach is reported, followed by more advice on how best to protect yourself. But as this week's news roundup from SearchCIO's Fran Sales shows, the degree to which companies ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
10 Oct 2014
A quick lesson from HP's split
Everyone has been buzzing this week about HP's split into two smaller companies. The general consensus on the spilt? Smart move, HP. It's clear consumers favor social, mobile, analytics and cloud ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
26 Sep 2014
The Bash shell bug
Another week, another security flaw, and it's a bad one this time. The Bash shell bug, as it's being called, has been living in your enterprise's Linux software for more than 20 years and can be ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
29 Aug 2014
It's time to join the wearables race
Have you joined the wearables race yet? If you're a CIO and you haven't yet, you might want to get on it. Apple, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Under Armour, LG, and Samsung certainly have. CIOs should be ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
22 Aug 2014
Heartbleed strikes again
I'm about to tell you something you've probably heard over and over: addressing a security breach right away is the best way to mitigate the threat. Why am I telling you this? Because Heartbleed ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
08 Aug 2014
Russian Hackers and the CIO
Could you be using the recent Russian hack to your advantage? If you're a CIO, the answer is yes, according to Ronald Breaux, head of the privacy and data security Group at Hayes and Boone, an ... Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Aug 2014
How PayPal rallied a 4,000-strong move to Agile
PayPal’s wholesale move to an Agile methodology was built on ‘four pillars,’ took seven months and changed the way 4,000 IT and product people did their jobs. Here’s how it got done. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Aug 2014
Four pillars of PayPal's 'big bang' Agile transformation
PayPal's technology VP Kirsten Wolberg gives SearchCIO the facts, figures and philosophy behind a 'big bang' move to Agile that changed the way 510 cross-functional teams work. Included in the budget: $2 million to change out the furniture. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
01 Aug 2014
With malware like Backoff around, IT security can't be about protecting egos
If you're a CIO who takes offense when someone questions your IT security program, it may be time to get out of your own way for the sake of your company. That's the provocative view of Kevin ... Continue Reading
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Guide
24 Jul 2014
CIO Innovator profiles: Industry groundbreakers, great IT leaders
SearchCIO's award-winning CIO Innovator profile series features IT executives who are applying information technology to enable, grow and transform business. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
18 Jul 2014
The formidable alliance of IBM and Apple
I love my iPhone. Who doesn't? It's a great product, as millions of users would agree, but it's not exactly the most efficient tool to get my day job done. That's about to change, IBM and Apple ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
13 Jul 2014
Silicon Valley shows that age matters when it comes to finding tech talent
Silicon Valley companies are going back to high school; but not in the way that you're thinking. They're stalking the unhallowed halls for summer interns and paying them dearly for their wisdom, as ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
13 Jun 2014
Tweetdeck's XSS bug: Murphy's Law writ large
When we sat down with Patrick Gilmore, CTO of data center services provider Markley Group, at last month's MIT CIO symposium and asked him what his biggest IT challenge was, we never expected ... Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2014
Leading the digital enterprise: Five tips on how to get there
This year's MIT Sloan CIO Symposium focused on the digital enterprise and how the line between internal and external customers is blurring. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 May 2014
Four elements of creating business agility
Organizational agility expert Joseph Flahiff lays out four practices that lead to business agility. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
09 May 2014
Proposed FCC net neutrality rules incite outcry; Target CEO resigns
In this week's Searchlight: More fuel has been added to the net neutrality fire. Despite a call for delay from a Federal Communications Commissioner and vocal dissent from the public, FCC chairman ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
18 Apr 2014
From crisis management to crime networks, getting social pays off
Hospital emergency personnel and other first responders were -- rightfully -- heralded as heroes during last year's Boston Marathon bombing. Their valiant performance aside, there were still ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
11 Apr 2014
Hearts aflutter as 'Heartbleed bug' threatens personal information security
This post was written by Fran Sales, SearchCIO's associate editor. This week, media outlets (and all my friends and coworkers) have been abuzz with news and speculation about the so-called ... Continue Reading
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News
11 Apr 2014
'Heartbleed' bug leaks personal identifiable information
Searchlight: OpenSSL's "Heartbleed" spills personal identifiable information; how to be a better CIO; a new twist on packing tape; and more. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
04 Apr 2014
High-frequency trading and technology-enabled competitive advantage
If you ask me, some of the best moments of Jon Stewart's The Daily Show are his interviews with journalists. In his unofficial role as a media critic for the millennial set, Stewart usually draws ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
14 Mar 2014
Is the obsession with appification hurting tech?
Yes, we get it. There's an app for that. And that. And even that. The appification of everything is where it's at. The kids love the apps. And the slightly older kids love making them. Where app ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
28 Feb 2014
Dark days for data privacy, protecting data gets hands-on
Another week, another disturbing government data surveillance initiative revealed. This time: The Brit's GCHQ peeping Yahoo web cam chats. The mission was to collect and store facial images -- ... Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Feb 2014
Free project management template examples for strategic IT planning
These free project management template examples from around the Web provide project guidelines and strategic IT planning tools to CIOs and IT leaders. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
07 Feb 2014
Bill Gates could bring fresh ideas in advisory role
As Satya Nadella settles in at the helm of Microsoft, all eyes are on the "new" guy (as new as a 22-year veteran employee can be). And rightly so. It's a pivotal time for the company that seems to ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
31 Jan 2014
Foursquare taps into omnichannel
When Foursquare partnered with GrubHub-Seamless this week, it was more than just a boon for lazy burrito lovers. It provided a useful illustration of what omnichannel is intended to be today, and ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
03 Jan 2014
Searchlight List of Lists: The best, worst of 2013 and what's next
If you do something more than once and do it at the same time of year, it's reasonable to consider it an "annual event." Therefore, welcome to the annual Searchlight List of Lists! It's my business ... Continue Reading
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News
02 Jan 2014
Mobile technology changing India but government must legislate
Mobile technology is changing how Indian government and businesses operate but the regulatory environment must change if the country is to reach its potential Continue Reading
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Blog Post
20 Dec 2013
Look into the past provides cautionary tale on rejecting tech trends
We've all said silly things. We don't all get haunted by them on the Internet on a regular basis. Back in 1995, writer and astronomer Cliff Stoll shared his thoughts on the future of the World Wide ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
13 Dec 2013
Curious kids need more than an Hour of Code
Won't someone please think of the children? Oh, great, someone is. This week, Computer Science Education Week and the non-profit group Code.org successfully encouraged teachers in the U.S. and ... Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2013
HoneyBaked Ham IT and marketing veeps find secret sauce in big data
At The Original HoneyBaked Ham Co. of Georgia, there's no such thing as data for data's sake. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
15 Nov 2013
Stack ranking doesn't meet the standards of today's CIOs
Pretty much nobody thought stack ranking was a good idea at Microsoft. In fact, it so stank, it was finally put to rest this week in favor of a more employee-empowering, collaborative approach. So, ... Continue Reading
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News
13 Nov 2013
Leadership tips in a challenging environment from three health IT CIOs
At the 45th annual SIMposium, health IT CIOs talked about how technology is changing just about every aspect of health care, except one: the importance of leadership. Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 Oct 2013
Creative destruction and the cloud: Why it's a good thing
The creative destruction brought on by the cloud is an imperative and unavoidable part of your IT and business strategy. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Sep 2013
Free technology roadmap template examples for CIOs
These free technology roadmap templates and examples will clear up your organization's strategic vision, combining detail with overarching goals. Continue Reading
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Definition
26 Aug 2013
Pareto principle
The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a theory maintaining that 80 percent of the output from a given situation or system is determined by 20 percent of the input. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
16 Aug 2013
Email privacy is a myth, regardless of what Google said or didn't say
There's an old expression in journalism: "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." In other words, take nothing for granted when reporting a story. Apparently those who reported Google's ... Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Jul 2013
All aboard: CIO wins the battle, initiates centralized IT organization
Our SearchCIO IT Leader of the Year Award winner, CIO Eric Hawley, explains how he built a centralized IT environment -- starting with listening. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
26 Jul 2013
Data scientists need to earn trust
They're a hot commodity in high demand. They're the cool kids who know how to get down and dirty with the big data. They're the data scientists, the folks who give meaning to, well, just about any ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
19 Jul 2013
Sophisticated retail data collection programs up the creep factor
Have you ever felt like you were being watched? Well, get used to it. More and more retailers are getting sophisticated with their data collection programs. From mobile device tracking to ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
05 Jul 2013
Patent suggests self-destructing email coming soon
It would be the special delivery we've all dreamed of since the dawn of the electronic exchange of words -- self-destructing email. And while it could save jobs and relationships the world over, it ... Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Jun 2013
The GRC maturity model and value proposition
In this CIO Matters column, Harvey Koeppel takes a look at the GRC maturity model and how CIOs can turn risk management into business value. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
10 May 2013
Looking forward to the day we don't talk about women in tech
Jennie Lamere did something pretty cool. The 17-year-old high school senior beat out 80 competitors to win a recent hackathon. The prize-winning innovation is an app that called Twivo that can be ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
22 Apr 2013
The power of social media undeniable in times of crisis
These days, I often find myself among those who are tiring of the way social media has inserted itself into just about every part of our lives. But with the terror attack at the Boston Marathon and ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
12 Apr 2013
Creativity is wasted without strategy for managing innovation
The people on your team seemed to be brimming with creativity when you hired them. So why aren't all these great ideas translating to innovation in your organization? Perhaps it's because you've ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
10 Apr 2013
Data-crunching doesn't always paint a full picture
What do Albert Pujols and Pablo Picasso have in common? Well, they both feature prominently in this week’s SearchCIO.com Searchlight which questions the idea of applying Moneyball –style analytics ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
29 Mar 2013
Amazon expands empire to social networking
The old saying goes that you can't be all things to all people. But Amazon is sure as heck gonna try. In this week's SearchCIO.com Searchlight, the king of digital disruption shows how it's done. ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
22 Mar 2013
Data-driven world may take us down a dangerous road
Just about everyone who has a computer has, at one time or another, left a comment online. Be it a simple "congrats!" under a wedding snapshot or an angry mini-rant about poor restaurant service, ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
15 Mar 2013
Don't forget to count yourself among data analytics tools
When it comes to making big business decisions, data analytics tools are great to have in your arsenal. But as the lead item in this week's Searchlight reminds us there is one tool IT leaders ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
08 Mar 2013
As cybersecurity takes the spotlight, CIOs need to step up
From the breakout sessions to the lounges to the main stage, at this week's Fusion CEO/CIO Symposium in Madison, Wis., privacy and cybersecurity were on nearly everyone's mind. Recent high-profile ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
01 Mar 2013
The ballyhoo over Yahoo's telecommuting ban
It's a business decision. That's all it is. Sure, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's decision to pull the plug on telecommuting touches on many other work/life issues, but the bottom line is that it was a ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
22 Feb 2013
Some extra compensation could prompt innovation
Big tech companies like Apple and Facebook are accustomed to encouraging and fostering IT innovation among their employees and getting results. This week's SearchCIO.com Searchlight finds the ... Continue Reading
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Blog Post
15 Feb 2013
It's time to roll the dice with social networking
Attention, businesses that aren't actively making use of social networking sites and tools: Go directly to obscurity, do not pass Go, do not collect market share. For you see, Monopoly game maker ... Continue Reading